Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 1, 1922 — page 78: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

868 the unthinkable insult resounded in this place of many ears. Instead, his left hand shot out with the speed of an adder’s tongue, and gripped the boy’s coat collar as an en- tomologist’s tweezers seize upon a rare bug. For the first time in his life Pax was scared—and dangerous! All scared animals are dangerous up to, and beyond, their ut- most capacity to damage and hurt. And Pax Rogers’s capacity was enormous and unplumbed. No man can play football for three years as a scrub and be anything but a tough bird. Pax felt himself imprisoned, saw Riley’s right fist clench, knew that at the very least a broken nose or jaw impended. He flung himself at Riley’s feet, clutched him about the legs, upended him and stood him on his head. No man, however hard or hollow his pan, is any the better for being dropped onto a floor composed of large squares of black and white marble. Riley came up, but he was groggy. He was full of fight, but could not have told his own name. Sheer instinct caused him to lash out at Rogers. The crowd had closed in so that escape was cut off. Pax had to stay and defend himself. He did so in the only way he knew how. Instead of trying to parry the blows, he acted as if this were a football game, and Riley a plunging back. He left the floor in a clean, diving tackle that slammed Riley down so hard that his lungs became a vacuum. Then he picked him up, whirled him in the air as if he were a club, and felled three or four more or less innocent bystanders. A surge of the crowd, a little opening, and Pax was through, head down, knees and elbows high. At the portal he met the huge doorman, who was coming in. The uniformed giant cascaded down the steps and halfway across the street before fetch- ing up against a taxicab. Pax Rogers made splendid time back to his room on the campus, and he did not leave it until the following morning, nor would he unlock to the persistent hammer- ing of many visitors., He always had a cup of coffee before chapel, at a little lunch wagon round the corner. No other student dreamed of doing. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. better than making chapel sufficiently clad to pass muster. So Pax met no one he knew as he bought a morning paper, and walked to the lunch cart. He found that Battling Riley and himself divided most of the front page between them, and about all of the sporting section. His own feat was played up in traditional style, and was about what he had expected, save that certain dramatic features made it of rather more interest than usual to the Kingston public. The genuine sensation was that Bimbo Dunn had not only stayed the limit with the champion, but had out- pointed him so far that he must have re- ceived the decision, had one been allowed! For the first time that term Pax cut chapel this morning. He drank three cups of coffee before he had finished the paper he usually spent ten minutes on. Then he remembered the single letter that he had found in the dormitory box; a cheap-looking envelope, bearing no return address, and with unfamiliar handwriting. He opened it and read: Mr. Rocers! I’m the man you made the bet with about you'd call Riley a big cheese. I'll be honest with you. I’m Bimbo Dunn's handler and IT got a wrong steer that this here Riley hadn’t done no training, and was a sick man. Well, when I see him there in the Kingston Arms I knew I was a sucker, because if he was a sick man I’m Sarah Bernhardt. So when you sat down and I see you was a husky guy I framed you to go. in and start something with Riley and figured before he killed you maybe you’d anyhow mess him up a little so my man could stay the limit that night. Because, you see, I’d went and bet all the money I had, and a lot besides. Mister, I got to hand it to you! You done great. I made my pile all right when I thought I was a bankruptcy sure. And to show you I’m no piker inclose my check for five hundred fish which you earned it, besides save the life of Yours, (Signed) BERNIE Rosorr. Pax Rogers was still staring at the check in a dazed sort of way when a dignified young man tapped him on the shoulder. ‘“‘ Be at the dread portals to-night at ten o’clock! Come alone, and wear your oldest clothes.”’ Thus spake Sarcophagus! comicloool C©